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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. current — electric
  7. scale — in music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spring — a coil
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — of water
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — of water
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — happening now
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. dip — to sink
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com